Thicker Than Water
by VioletOakCypress
Summary: Aaron Hotchner lets his emotions get the better of him when someone he cares about becomes the focus of their latest case.
1. Chapter 1

Walking into the FBI wasn't an easy task if you weren't an employee or working directly with them. There are several check points and bureaucratic hoops to jump through. The good news for Lilian Marshall was that she was on the list of preapproved visitors. Of course that is only after all of the screenings have been completed.

Lilian stepped through the metal detector and was patted down; another guard handed her back her purse after it went through the security scanner. "Thank you." She said as she took it back into her hands.

"You need to head over there now." The guard pointed her to a desk ten feet away, located next to the elevator. An older lady, wearing a headset, was typing on her computer's keyboard. She stopped and looked up at Lilian. "Hello, ma'am. How can I assist you?" She said politely.

"Hi, I am here to see SSA Aaron Hotchner." Lilian anticipated the next steps. "My name is Lilian Marshall, and here is my ID." She handed over her driver's license. The lady looked up Lilian's information, verified that she was approved by SSA Hotchner, processed a visitors badge and handed it to her. Lilian was then directed to the elevator.

She walked onto the elevator, pushed the button to the sixth floor and waited for the doors to close. "Hold the elevator! I'm coming!" Penelope Garcia said, doing the best she could to run to the closing metal doors while wearing purple, platform shoes. She had two bags over her shoulder, held a stack of folders in one hand and a to-go coffee cup in the other. "Hi, thanks!"

"What floor?" Lilian asked, standing next to the row of buttons.

Garcia looked at the glowing number six on the panel. "Six, but I can see we are going to the same place." The folders that she was holding started to slip out of her grasp.

Lilian quickly went to grab them before they fell. "Here, let me help you." Garcia smiled back at her, graciously. The elevator slightly shook as it stopped; the doors opened to their destination. Both women stepped out into the foyer. "Would you like me to help you to where you need to go?"

"Oh, that's so kind of you, but I will manage." She said while taking the files back. "Can I help you get where _you_ need to go?"

"Thanks, but I'm good." She paused, "unless Aaron Hotchner moved his office to a different location."

Garcia's smile dropped from her face and turned into concern. "You're here to see Hotch?" Lilian nodded in response. "Oh… um…" Garcia stuttered. "He is in the same office."

Lilian smiled back at her. "Thank you. It's Penelope, right?" Garcia was stunned. A thought of this woman being a psychic crossed her mind. Lilian smirked, "Aaron has told me about you."

"Oh." Garcia blinked. "He has?"

Lilian smiled as she nodded. "Well, it was very nice meeting you." Lilian walked into the bullpen to see a throng of desks, and people moving about. Dr. Reid was sitting at his desk when he saw her walk in. She looked to the left, walked toward the staircase and headed to Hotch's office. She tapped on his open office door. Aaron was sitting at his desk with mountains of files and papers stacked all over it. He looked up to see his friend standing the doorway.

"Lily!" he exclaimed with a smile on his face. He dropped his pen on top of the report he was writing in; got up and hugged her. "Come in." He shut the door then returned to his seat. He motioned for her to sit in the empty chair in front of his desk.

Dr. Reid silently observed their interaction. Agent Prentiss sat down on the corner of his desk, "Who just went into Hotch's office?"

"I don't know." Spencer responded while keeping his eyes on them. "It was obvious that he knows her. I think I even saw him smile."

"Wow." Prentiss remarked. "You think maybe a girlfriend?"

Reid shook his head. "No, Hotch wouldn't date someone that much younger than he is."

Hotch leaned forward in his chair. "It is so good to see you. I am sorry that I haven't been able to meet up the last few times. Work has kept me pretty busy."

"Oh, I understand. It comes with the job."

"Jack really misses you, too." He started to let out a chuckle. "He wanted to know the next time you go to France so you can bring him some real French fries."

Lily joined in the laughter. "Oh, I love it! You need to write that down!" She closed her eyes then opened them. She stared at the picture of Jack on the bookshelf behind Hotch's desk. Her smile started to fade.

He looked at her, noticing her sudden attitude change. He slowly moved his head as he analyzed her playing with her ring with her other fingers. "What's wrong?" He immediately turned back into SSA Hotchner.

"How do you know if someone is stalking you?" She asked in a sober tone.

"Have you seen someone following you?"

Lily sighed, "That's why I'm asking. I don't know. It started a few weeks ago, after I returned from Rome. I started to feel that someone was following me. I can't describe it. Anywhere I went, the store, drycleaners, pharmacy, I felt like I was being watched. Aaron, it was a bad enough feeling that I stopped going for my daily run."

"That's good of you to stop that if you felt in danger. Why didn't you contact me sooner?"

"I was going to, but it was when you wrote me that email that you were going to be in Seattle longer than you had expected and we wouldn't be able to do dinner. So I went to the police."

"And what happened there?"

"They seemed understanding, but said there wasn't nothing they could do based off of a hunch. And pretty much had to wait until something happened."

Hotch nodded. "Unfortunately, that is standard procedure." He responded showing his concern. He fixated on her green cow eyes and sighed. "Have you been seeing someone recently? Maybe a bad break-up?"

"No, nothing like that. I haven't had time, been traveling too much. I don't have a clue as to who could be doing this… if there is actually someone and I'm not imagining it."

"I am sure you aren't imagining it. I would love to be able to put you in a safe house until we could solve this. However, we are only able to do something like that if someone's life was immediate danger. I am unable to justify this as a new case."

Lily sat forward in her chair. "Oh, I'm not asking for you for that or for you to pull strings. I just wanted to come to my friend, Aaron, and ask him his opinion."

"You're going to come stay with me."

"What?" She was taken aback.

"Sad news is that Jack is away for the weekend, but I am sure he would love that you come over for a visit. At least you will be safe there."

Lily smiled. "Thank you, Aaron. And who knows, maybe after a few days the nervous feeling will go away."

Hotch stood up out of his chair. "So, it's a plan." He walked around his desk toward her. "I want you to go home and pack a bag. I will have an agent meet you at your place and escort you to my apartment."

Lily stood up and hugged her friend. They both walked to his office door; he opened it. "Wait here." He said as he put up his hand in front of her. He looked around the cluster of desks until the person he wanted caught his eye. "Anderson." Hotch called; turned to Lily. "This is Agent Anderson. He will be the one escorting you."

"Thank you." She said softly as she walked past Aaron and swiped his arm with her hand. She headed down the staircase and toward the elevator. Hotch pulled Anderson into his office to explain the situation.

Lily walked past Prentiss and Reid, as they tried to pretend they hadn't been staring at her the entire time. She entered the foyer and pressed the button to go back down to the lobby. As the elevator door opened, she noticed a familiar face. "Hello, Agent Rossi." She smiled.

He looked up at her while still inside the elevator car and smiled back. "Hello, Lily." As they swapped places, he put his hand on the side of the archway to keep the doors from closing. "So, was Rome everything I said it would be?"

"And more." She giggled as he let the door close.

Rossi turned to see Reid and Prentiss peeking through the door's window. "Shouldn't you two be working?" He asked.

"So, you know her too?" Prentiss asked.

Rossi stared at them. "Yes I do." Then walked past them toward the staircase.

"Who is she?" Reid asked.

Rossi stopped, turned around to the two nosy bodies. "She is a friend of Hotch's"

"Uh, yeah, we figured that." Prentiss said.

Reid smirked. "We are just curious about someone who can make Hotch smile."

"Then I suggest you ask Hotch." Rossi turned back toward the staircase. Reid and Prentiss looked up to see Hotch staring at them from the top of the stairs.

"Well..." Emily slapped her hands together. "Gotta get back to work." They both went back to their desks.

Rossi stopped next to Hotch. "What was Lily doing here? Everything okay?"

"Why don't you come into my office; I will fill you in."

* * *

Hotch and Rossi walked into Penelope's office. "Garcia, are you working on something right now?" Hotch asked.

"Nothing important, sir." She closed the window she was in. "Do we have a new case?"

"There is something we would like you to look into for us." Rossi directed.

"Of course... I am at your disposal."

"I need you to look into any stalking cases of women in the Virginia area."

Garcia turned to Hotch. "It might help if I could get particulars of the people being stalked, in case I need to narrow it down."

Hotch closed his eyes for a moment. "Woman, in her thirties, brunette, physically fit."

"I'll do all that I can, sir."

"I will also need you to look into the life of someone. See if you can find anyone who could be following her." Hotch watched as Garcia's sparkly pen wiggled around as she was taking notes. "Her name is Lilian Rose Marshall. Thanks, Garcia." Hotch turned and quickly left the office leaving Rossi behind.

She turned to him. "Is Hotch okay?"

"He will be." Rossi said reassuringly.

Garcia turned to her computer and typed in Lily's name. Her picture popped up then several other windows of information. Garcia instantly recognized her from the elevator this morning. "Oh no."

Rossi's eyes opened wide. "What is it?"

"I met her this morning. She was so sweet to me." She paused. "Oh that must be why she came to see Hotch."

Rossi put his hand on her shoulder. "Remember, this is to stay between us."

"Got it." She replied, then started to type frantically.

* * *

"Hey Garcia." Prentiss called as she walked into her office.

Garcia pushed a button on her keyboard and all of the windows on her screen closed. She quickly turned around in her chair, obviously distracted. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh... you look busy." She paused waiting for Garcia to tell her what she is doing. But the explanation didn't come. "I, uh, just wanted to give you the file from the last case."

Garcia took the folder from Prentiss' hands. "Great. Thank you." She stared at her, still not wavering.

Prentiss looked concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Garcia sighed. "I'm sorry, Emily, I am under orders. I can't discuss it."

"Okay." She said reluctantly. "If you need anything, please let me know."


	2. Chapter 2

Lily entered her house and threw her keys into the dish on the table by the door. She went into her room and pulled an overnight bag from the closet and placed it on the bed. She opened and closed drawers, pulling out clothes and stuffing them into the bag. Once she finished with everything, she took a last look around her room to make sure she didn't forget anything. She flipped the light switch off and headed downstairs, dropping her bag by the door.

Then the doorbell rang. Lily headed back to the door to welcome Agent Anderson. "Oh!" She exclaimed as she stared at a man who wasn't Anderson. "Can I help you?" She asked.

"Hi ma'am, I'm Detective Rogers." His eyes looked downward toward the shield on his hip. "I am here to follow-up on your police report from last week. May I come in?"

Lily took a step back. "Of course." And let him walk into her home. She showed him to her living room where he sat down as she brought in two glasses of water; then sat down.

"I wanted to show you a photo array and see if you recognize anyone." He opened the folder he had with him and put a paper down in front of her with pictures of six different men on it.

Lily picked up the page from the coffee table and focused on each picture. "No, I'm sorry. No one looks familiar." She handed it back to the detective.

"Well, I just wanted to check. But we would still feel more comfortable if you were safe. The department has set up a safe house for you, and if you could get some things together, I can take you there."

Lily thought back to what Aaron was saying earlier. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this situation. She did her best not to show her true feelings to the man sitting in front of her. "Sure." She got up. "Let me go get a few things." She went into the kitchen where she pulled her phone from her pocket and sent the text 'help' to Hotch's phone.

Rogers remained seated in the living room. He looked around the immediate area. He then saw the packed bag next to the door. He stood up and looked through the window blinds to see a black SUV pull up outside the house. Knowing that this put a kink in his plan, he darted into the kitchen where he saw Lily frantically pushing buttons on her phone. He pulled out a cloth from his pocket and covered her face while he stood behind her. She started to lose consciousness. Her phone clanked onto the kitchen floor when she lost her grip. Rogers threw her over his shoulder, dropping the cloth and pulled a revolver from his holster at his waist then headed to the door.

Anderson turned off the engine to his vehicle when his phone rang. "Agent Anderson."

"Are you with Lily?" Hotch demanded an answer.

"I am right outside her house, about to go in."

"She just sent me a message, I need you to go in now!" Hotch yelled. He looked up from his desk to see Rossi standing in his office doorway.

"What's going on?" Rossi asked.

"I am not sure yet. Lily sent me a text saying only 'help'. Anderson is there now.

Rossi looked confused. "A text? Why not a call?"

"I don't know." He covered his hand over his phone. "I'm waiting to hear." Hotch removed his hand. "Anderson, what's going on?!"

Anderson had the phone in his left hand and his service weapon in his right hand pointed toward the ground. He started to walk to the door. Just then the door flew open. Rogers bolted out of the house with Lily passed out over his shoulder. He pointed his weapon at Anderson and fired. He fell onto the ground while smoke was still coming out of Roger's gun barrel. He adjusted Lily on his shoulder and opened the back door of his car and placed Lily in there and got into the driver's seat and drove off.

Anderson felt around for his phone in the grass then picked it up. "10-13! Dark sedan; license plate Delta-Charlie-Juliet-four-two-nine." Anderson dropped his head and stared up into the sky. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Anderson?!" Hotch yelled into his phone.

Hotch's team stood watching the situation through his office window. He came out and looked at the team. "Let's go!"

* * *

Three black SUVs pulled up in front of Lily's house. The BAU team exited the vehicles. Police cars and ambulances were already at the scene. Agent Jareau went up to the officer in charge while Hotch and Rossi went to Anderson as he was lying on the gurney.

"What happened?" Hotch asked.

Anderson tried to stay conscious and tried to catch his breath. "I was going to the door when this man came out. Lilian was over his shoulder. She appeared incapacitated. That's when he shot me. I was able to see him drive off in that direction." Anderson pointed south.

Rossi looked at the wounded agent. "Would you be able to identify him?"

He sighed. "I didn't get a good look at him since Lilian was blocking is face. But he was white, brown hair, thirty to forty years old."

Rossi grabbed Anderson's arm. "You will be just fine. They are going to get you to the hospital now."

Hotch turned to the paramedic. "Thank you. You can take him now." Anderson was lifted into the ambulance. After two knocks on the back door, the ambulance too off.

Hotch went back to his team, who were waiting to see what was going on. "We are dealing with an abduction. Her name is Lilian Marshall. She reported a suspicion of being stalked to the police department last week. She came to me today to report the same. Agent Anderson was coming to escort her to a safe location when he witnessed her abduction."

"Why did she come to see you?" Agent Morgan asked.

"She is a family friend." Hotch said in a sober tone. "This man was in her house. So I need you to search inside to see if you can find anything." The team disbursed inside the house. Hotch picked up his phone, dialed and put to his ear.

"Garcia." She answered.

"Lily was just abducted. I need to know what you have."

Garcia's face dropped when hearing the news. "Well." she stuttered. "After searching through a lot of police reports, I found something that fits. There have been two cases in the past two years where women, in their thirties, reported being stalked. They were each kidnapped and held for a week after reporting being stalked. They were found on park benches, alive, thank god. But here is the strange thing. Both of them didn't want to file a report or give any information about being held or their captor."

"So we don't know what was done to them?"

Garcia paused. "Well, not exactly."

Hotch became impatient. "Tell me, Garcia!"

"Both women were repeatedly raped and tortured."

Hotch closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Rossi could sense the severity of the issue coming from his friend. "Is there any indication why these women wouldn't want to talk?" Hotch asked.

"None sir. If anyone had a hunch, they didn't write it in their reports. They pretty much turned into cold cases.

* * *

The team split up to search the house. Prentiss stood in the living room. She noticed two glasses of water resting on the coffee table. She turned toward the bookcase to look at the collection. Among the books were picture frames. She immediately noticed her boss in a picture, standing next to the victim... smiling.

Reid went into the kitchen and Lilian's phone on the floor. The screen was cracked from when it dropped. He picked it up and was able to access it. He then saw a piece of cloth under the bottom cupboard. He reached for the ripped up piece of towel. Reid brought the damp cloth to his nose and smelt it. "Hey, guys." He called to the team. They all came and met in the kitchen. "I found this piece of towel. It was soaked in chloroform. That is how he was able to subdue her."

"I found two glasses of water in the living room." Prentiss pointed at the table. "It appears that she didn't take him as a threat."

Morgan stepped forward. "There was also no damage to either door. He could have used some kind of ruse to get in.

Reid held the cracked cell phone in front of him. "At some point she knew there was a problem. I see a text sent to Hotch with only the word 'help' written."

"That's how he knew something was wrong." JJ spoke up.

"She did start a second text." Reid continued. "It says 'I think he is here and he is pretending to be a...' and that's where it stops." He looked up at the rest of the team.

"I'll call Garcia." Morgan picked up his phone.

"No need." Hotch spoke up. The team turned to see their leader standing behind them. "She is already working on it." He filled them in on what information he was given. "Morgan take Reid and go see the first victim, Molly Wright. Try and see if you can get more information than the police. JJ, you and David go to the second, Susan Campbell and do the same. Prentiss, you stay with me."

The team split up and went to their assignments. Hotch stayed in the house with Prentiss by his side. He turned to her. "I need your help. We need to look through his house and see if this guy could have been in here without her knowing it."

"Got it." She acknowledged. Hotch headed up stairs as she stayed in the living room. She checked all the window locks to see if they were left open or tampered with. Hotch leaned over the banister, "Prentiss, come up here." He called from upstairs. She quickly rushed upstairs. "I would like for you to search through her room. I don't think it would be appropriate to do it myself." Hotch headed out of the room and went to search the other rooms.

Prentiss searched through Lilian's belongings, trying to find any clues. She dropped to her knees and pulled some shoe boxes from under the bed; but nothing of interest was in them. She then shoved her hand between the mattress and the box-spring, pulling out a journal. She got up, sat on the bed then flipped through the pages to find any mention of being followed.

"Find anything?" Hotch asked while standing in the doorway.

Prentiss looked surprised, as if she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Hotch saw what she was reading. "Was there anything relevant in there?"

"She does write about feeling like she was followed and then feeling uncomfortable." Prentiss looked uneasy.

"What is it?"

"Well, I am not sure you want to hear this... but she has written a lot about you in here. About how much she hates when your job takes you away. There are also a lot of mentions of someone named Greg and how much she misses him.

Hotch covered his emotions, like usual. "Greg was her brother." He went to her dresser and picked up a picture of a young Aaron and Greg in their twenties and a little girl, in their bathing suits standing in front of a lake, all of them with big, cheesy smiles. He handed it to Prentiss. "This is Greg, Lily and me one summer at the lake."

Prentiss smiled looking into a glimpse of Hotch's past. "So, you have known Lily practically her entire life?"

Hotch smiled as he took the picture back from her. "They were a second family to me. Lily has been like my own sister... especially after Greg passed away."

"Oh, I am sorry. How did he die?" She asked softly and sincerely.

"He was diagnosed with leukemia at twenty-five. This picture was from the last summer before he got really sick." He sat down on the bed with his eyes locked on the picture of his past. "I promised him that I would always protect and be there for Lily... And it is obvious that I have failed, on both counts. I should have never made a promise that I can't keep." He put the picture on his lap; his hands cupped his face in shame.

Prentiss sat next to him. "Hotch, you can't blame yourself. It is not your fault that she was taken. We need to focus on getting her back, not on what we could have done differently."

He nodded his head. "You're right. Let's get back and get an update"


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Reid walked up to the door of the first victim and knocked. A woman answered the door. "Ms. Wright?" He asked. The woman nodded, standing mostly behind the door. "I am Dr. Reid and this is Agent Morgan, we are with the FBI." They both showed their credentials. "We would like to ask you a few questions."

"No." She said abruptly. "I am not talking." She slammed the door.

Reid and Morgan looked at each other both extremely puzzled. "Maybe they will have better luck with the other victim." Morgan had hoped.

* * *

Susan Campbell was reluctant but let JJ and Rossi into her home.

"We would like to ask you some questions about your abduction from this past April." JJ said softly. Susan nodded.

"Did you ever see your abductor?" Rossi asked.

Susan clenched her hand on her sweater, under her neck. "Yes, but I won't answer questions about him."

JJ and Rossi exchanged the same confused expressions that their team members did.

"What about where you were being held?" JJ started. "Did you recognize anything there?"

"It was some kind of abandoned building, maybe a warehouse. There were brick walls and cement floors. I just remember it being very cold."

"What about being found in the park. Do you remember how you got there?" Rossi inquired.

Susan shook her head. "I remember falling asleep in that place and then waking up in the hospital. I don't even remember the park.

* * *

The team was gathered at the round table as Hotch walked into the room with Prentiss behind him. "Okay everyone, where are we at?"

Morgan sat up in his chair. "The first victim, Molly Wright, didn't want to have anything to do with us."

"She practically slammed the door in our faces." Reid added. "But I did notice that it was after we showed our badges."

"Yeah, we had a similar reaction." JJ said. "She looked nervous once we identified ourselves. She was legitimately scared to talk about her abductor. Like he is still controlling her."

"Maybe he threatened them." Rossi suggested. "_Speak about this and someone you love will die_. We've seen it before."

Prentiss pushed Lily's cracked cell phone forward to the middle of the table. "Let's not forget what she wrote. She said that he was pretending to be someone or something."

"Could it be an FBI agent?" Reid asked. "That would explain why she would let him into her house."

Hotch interjected. "Yes, however she knew that I was sending Anderson... She saw what he looked like. She would have been skeptical of a different agent showing up at her door." Hotch then turned his attention to Garcia. "What do you have?"

"I went back through her credit card purchases and I was looking to find someone else shopping at the same time and places as her and nothing has popped. But I did find something on a security camera. When she would go on her runs, her route went past an ATM. I was able to see the same car closely behind her on three different days." She clicked the remote and the footage appeared on the TV screen. "It is a dark sedan. Unfortunately I can't get a plate number or identify the driver. But if it is the same vehicle that was driven by the bad guy from her house, then we are out of luck, those plates came up stolen.

"Where did the police report say that they were stolen from?" Hotch asked.

"Well, actually, the car was impounded for unpaid parking tickets. When the owner went to retrieve it, the plates were missing."

Prentiss looked puzzled. "The plates were taken from the impound yard?"

"That's what it looks like."

"Garcia, get me a list of every person who would have access to that impound yard." Hotch ordered.

"Yes, sir." She turned off the TV and put the remote back on top of the table.

Rossi stopped her before leaving the room. "Could you also look for an abandoned building, possibly a warehouse? Susan Campbell described a place that is cold with brick walls and cement floors."

"Will do." Garcia nodded, then headed back to her office.

"Anything on the car?" Hotch asked.

"No, not yet." Morgan answered.

Hotch let out a disappointed sigh. "Okay, everyone, keep looking. Dave, can you come with me?" The two senior agents went into Hotch's office and closed the door.

Morgan turned to Prentiss. "So tell me what's going on. This is more than just someone that Hotch knows. He is taking this personally.

"I really shouldn't." She replied.

"Emily, the man is about to break down. He is trying to hide it, but we can tell. Now you were with him. Did he tell you more about what's going on?"

Prentiss could see everyone fixated on her, wanting to know more. "Look, what I _will_ say is Hotch sees her as family and that is how we should treat this case. What if it was your sister?"

She pushed back in her chair and left the room. JJ quickly followed after her. When the two were alone she grabbed her friend's arm. "What is it? There is something else." JJ nudged for an answer.

Prentiss looked around the room then looked at JJ. "I haven't seen him like this except when we dealt with Foyet. He is really hurting over this. It is extremely personal for him and I don't think he will be okay until Lily is safe."

* * *

Lily started to blink her eyes. The room was dark and she couldn't see much. She began to shiver, after she realized she was laying on cold cement. Her hands were bound together with zip-tie cuffs and her shoes were removed leaving her with bare feet. Slowly her eyes started to focus and she picked herself up to look around. As she stood up, she could feel the chain that was attached to her right ankle. She looked to see that it was attached to a pole at the center of the room.

She saw a door and ran to it. "Of course it's locked." She said to herself. "Not like I would be able to leave with this chain on, anyway. Lily focused on the door to what looked like hand prints. She gasped when it was clear that they were left there in blood. Lily took a step back and noticed that the walls were splattered with blood. She quickly covered her mouth to keep herself from screaming. She then decided to follow the wall around looking for some other kind of exit.

Lily could see a dirty, rotting curtain used to hide an entryway. She was able to reach the curtain and slowly pulled it back then peeked through to the other side. A large metal table was to the side of the room. She thought it was the kind of table to be found in a rich person's kitchen. She tried to step into the room but her restraint wouldn't let her go any further, not that she would want to. There were chains hanging from the walls. She could see an old wooden table with what looked like power tools on it. Piles of bricks and wood were throughout the room. In the corner of the room was a dirty old mattress just lying on the ground. "I need to get out of here." she muttered, then started to cry.


	4. Chapter 4

Reid was in the conference room looking at a city map that he had tacked to the large bulletin board. He would look back and forth between papers and the board, each time placing a pin into the map.

"What are you working on?" Morgan asked as he walked into the room.

Reid put down the extra pins from his hand onto the table. "I was working on the geographical profile. Since Garcia wasn't able to find any connection between the three victims, I wanted to see about locations."

"Okay." Morgan took a step closer. "So what do you have?"

"The red pins are the victim's homes and the blue are the parks where they were discovered." he said while pointing to the pins on the map.

"What about the purple ones?"

"The purple ones are the sub-stations the woman reported being stalked."

Morgan looked more closely at the map. "I think you might have something here. Each woman lives within a 10 mile radius of a station. That can't be a coincidence. I have to go tell Hotch." Morgan left the room while Reid continued to work on his map for any additional commonalities. Morgan came back a few minutes later. "Come on, Pretty Boy." He leaned into the room while holding onto the door-frame. "We got a police station to get to."

* * *

Morgan and Reid walked into a busy squad-room; a man walked up to greet them. "Hello." He extended his hand to Dr. Reid, who politely pulled away. He then turned to Morgan and shook his hand. "I'm Lieutenant Ackrin. Agent Hotchner called and told me you are looking into one of our cases. How can I help out the FBI?" He said with an obvious disdain in his voice.

"In January, 2014, a woman named Molly Wright reported being stalked." Reid took a pause. "She was eventually abducted and then found in a park and not willing to talk about her experience."

Ackrin put his hands on his hips. "So, you are looking into a year old case because we weren't able to prevent her abduction?"

Morgan spoke up. "No, we aren't saying that. We have discovered two more victims with similar situations who reported to different police stations. We are here to look for any possible connections."

Ackrin let out a reluctant sigh. "Okay, I will get you the case-file. Meanwhile, speak with Detective Young over there. He was one of the men working the case."

The two agents went to the detective where they asked if he had any recollection. "Yeah, I remember that case." Young answered. "But I'm sorry. I wouldn't be much help. Detective Mercer was the primary. Ms. Wright filed the report with him in the first place. He followed up with her in the hospital after she was found in a park. All he told me was that she wouldn't talk." He leaned back in his chair while he crossed his arms. "I mean, how much can you push someone who just doesn't want to talk?"So we couldn't do anything else but move on."

"Here you go, gentlemen." Ackrin handed them a thin folder and walked with them to the entrance of the squad-room. "Wish we could have been more help."

Reid flipped through the documents then looked up at him. "When will Detective Mercer be in so we can talk to him?"

"Oh, he's no longer here. He transferred to the two-seven."

"Well, thanks for your time." Morgan cut the conversation short and Ackrin left them at the entrance to the precinct. "Didn't the second victim report her stalking at the two-seven?"

"Yes." Reid confirmed after his eyes widened realizing the coincidence. Morgan pulled out his phone.

"Fountain of all knowledge." Garcia answered.

"Hey, Baby Girl, I need you to look into everything you have about a Detective Mercer. He's stationed at the two-seven. We are on our way now."

"I'm all over it my chocolate thunder. I'll get back to you when I have something."

* * *

The team gathered back at the BAU to get a debriefing.

"Okay everyone, I have an update on Detective Mercer." Garcia clicked on the TV with the remote. "Roger Mercer has been on the job for eight years. In this time he has received several commendations, including one in 2012 for bravery. He was even dubbed a Hero. He has a spotless record. The only thing that popped out is all of his transfers. He has practically been assigned to every police station in the DC area.

"Is there a reason for all of the transfers?" Hotch asked.

"I couldn't find much, only that he requested most of them. The only notes that stood out in his file is that he is 'too dedicated', putting in tons of overtime and volunteering."

"Are we thinking hero complex?" JJ asked.

"It's possible." Rossi responded. "He might not work well with others, which could explain the transfers.

Morgan added, "I worked with a guy who was always the first person to run into the burning building, so to speak. It always caused a disruption because he wasn't a member of the team. He had to be number one at all times."

"That would explain the transfers." Reid suggested.

"When Rossi and I checked out his house, it looked like he hadn't been there in a couple of days." JJ Reported. "Two newspapers were on the porch; stack of mail still in the box."

"Garcia?" Hotch looked at his technical analyst for information.

"I don't show any other residences in his name. Only the house JJ and Rossi went to."

Hotch turned his focus to Morgan. "What did you get from the two-seven?"

"We spoke with Detective Howard, who has been working the case, he confirmed that Mercer is not involved in the case."

"However, he did say that Mercer is aware of it." Reid added.

"So he is aware of the second victim?" Hotch asked

"Yes." Morgan replied.

"Sir?" Garcia spoke up. "Pretty much anyone with a badge can access the impound yard. So, he would be on the list."

"Reid, I want you and Morgan to go to the impound yard where the license plate was taken and see what kind of access Mercer would have. The rest of us will head to the first victim with Mercer's photo and see if she is willing to talk if we have identified him."


	5. Chapter 5

Hotch knocked on Molly Wright's door. She opened to see Hotch staring at her. "Ms. Wright, I would just like a minute of your time." She stayed with her body behind the door, but allowed him to finish what he came to say. "I understand that you want to move on and not deal with what happened anymore. But he just took someone else. She, like you, didn't do anything to deserve this. Please, help me find her."

Molly backed up and opened the door, allowing the agents to come inside. She described a similar place that Susan did. She remembered old brick walls and felt that she was in an older building.

Hotch leaned closer to her. "Do you know a Detective Mercer?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't." She said truthfully.

Hotch stood up. "You don't need to hold anything back. We know he is the detective you first spoke with." He got increasingly hostile. "You _did_ meet with him." He pointed at her.

"Hotch!" Prentiss yelled. "Come with me." She grabbed his arm and took him outside with Rossi close behind.

JJ moved closer to Molly who was in shock. "I am so sorry. He is taking this case very personally and I know that is no excuse, but I would like to continue, if you are willing." Molly nodded.

Hotch walked toward the black SUV.

"You need to keep it together." Rossi scolded.

"I know." He admitted. "I was out of line."

Prentiss looked at Rossi. "Why don't you go back inside and help JJ. Hotch and I will go to the thirty-fourth precinct where Lily filed her report. We will check for any Mercer connection.

"Okay. I will call with an update." Rossi went back into the house.

"It's him, Emily, I know it is." Hotch glared just thinking about it.

"That is why we need to get more information. And we will get there… we will get her back."

* * *

Hotch and Prentiss walked into the thirty-fourth precinct where they spoke with the captain. After informing him of their case, he directed them to Detective Mark Surratt.

"How can I help you?" Surratt asked.

"We are looking into the abduction of Lilian Marshall." Prentiss said while showing a picture of Lily. "We understand she reported being stalked last week."

The detective sighed. "I can't believe it. When did it happen?"

"This morning." Hotch responded.

"Yes, she was here, but I wasn't able to do anything based on her feeling."

"We understand procedure. We just have a few questions." Prentiss said then stopped to answer her ringing phone." She turned to Hotch. "It's Morgan, I am going to take this outside." She left the two alone.

Hotch stared at him. "Do you know a Detective Roger Mercer?"

"Roger? Of course. He was my first partner when we were beat cops."

"Was he involved in this investigation?"

Surratt let out a chuckle. "Of course not, this isn't even his precinct. Why are you asking?"

"He was just the first detective to work on this case. We are just covering all bases." Hotch lied.

"He has been here, though. He's volunteered to help on an undercover operation. He could have heard about it."

"Do you know where we can find him? We just want to cross some 'T's', my boss can be a real stickler."

"I totally understand that." Surratt laughed as he looked his captain's way. Hotch joined in on the laughter. "Well, if he isn't at home or on a case. He is probably at the lodge."

"What lodge?"

"His family owns an old shipping building in Port Royal. He has been trying to turn it into some kind of lodge. I think he's crazy. He's been 'fixing it up' for years now and he's nowhere closer than when he started."

"Could you tell me where it is exactly?"

* * *

Prentiss stood outside, filling in Morgan on where she and Hotch were at over the phone. Just then her phone started to beep. "Oh no. My phone is about to die. Listen, I'm going to have to call you back from Hotch's." She was able to say just before her phone shut off. She headed back into the precinct. Just then the door opened and Hotch stormed out right past her.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Hotch raced to the car. "You better hurry if you are coming with me." He said as he was getting into the car. "Prentiss rushed after him and jumped into the passenger seat. Hotch was already peeling out of the parking lot before Prentiss was able to buckler her seat belt.

"My phone died." She paused to hold on while Hotch made a sharp turn. "I need to call Morgan back."

Hotch took out his phone and dialed Morgan's number. "Hey, do you have anything?"

Morgan and Reid stood at the entrance to the impound yard. "Yes and no. Detectives are able to come and go as they please. The only time there is a log is for vehicles going in or out. There is no record of him being here for the past month. But the guy in the office said that he could have been her and no one would have made a note of it."

"Okay, thanks." Hotch said then abruptly hung up the phone.

"Did you…" Morgan looked at his phone to see that the call was disconnected. "He hung up on me." He said to Reid.

Hotch made another call. "Rossi, it's me, what do you have?"

"She was able to pick out Mercer's photo. He introduced himself to her as Detective Rogers. It must have been him thinking of a way for her not to report him. But still, giving a false name in the middle of a police station is pretty bold."

"Yes, we are dealing with a narcissist who thinks he is uncatchable. Thanks. I'm heading to him now."

Prentiss continued to hold onto the grab bar. "So what's going on?"

"The first victim identified his picture. Also, he has been working an undercover case out of the thirty-fourth and is aware of this case. So we on our way to get him."

* * *

The car almost slammed into the side of the longstanding shipping building before stopping. Hotch and Prentiss exited the car with their weapons drawn. Hotch motioned for Prentiss to go to the back. Hotch approached the main entrance. He turned the handle to find that it was unlocked and entered.

Prentiss was able to find access at the back and returned to go through the front. She saw the door was left opened by Hotch and followed. A metal bar smacked down on her head and she fell on the ground next to Hotch. Both out cold.

Emily opened her eyes trying to focus on where she was at. Her hands were bound behind her back. She looked to see Hotch sitting next to her on the ground leaning against a brick wall. "Hotch?" She called.

He let out a groan as he was coming to and murmured a small "yeah" in response. He realized that his hands were secured as well. He tried to wiggle loose with no luck. Hotch turned to his partner to see a stream of blood dripping down her face. "Are you okay? You're bleeding."

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She picked herself up to look around where she was."

A man appeared before her holding a gun directly to her face." Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

Hotch instantly recognized him as Roger Mercer. "Where's Lily?" Hotch demanded.

Mercer smirked with satisfaction. "Lily? Funny, she said her name was Lillian to me. Either you are being incredibly informal or you know her. Mr. FBI Agent."

Hotch became angrier knowing that he was able to push his buttons.

Mercer grabbed Prentiss closer to him. "Are you a friend of hers too?"

"Go to hell." Prentiss responded.

"Leave her alone!" Hotch yelled.

"Go to hell? Go to hell?" Mercer leaned in and licked the blood off of her face as she winced. "I've already been there, and you're going to join me." He held the gun to her temple as he pulled her close to his chest. "I'm sure you won't mind her keeping me company, Mr. FBI Agent. After all _Lily _is tired and needs a break. Ms. FBI Agent will be a great pinch hitter in the meantime."

Hotch continued to struggle to get out of his restraints while his blood boiled. Mercer escorted Prentiss out of the room and slammed the door.

Morgan picked up his phone to call Rossi. "Hey, I was on the phone with Hotch and we got cut off. Is he with you?"

"No, I thought he was with you. He said that he was going to go get Mercer." Rossi responded.

Morgan looked concerned. "Emily's phone is dead, I have tried calling her but it keeps going to voicemail. Look, I am going to call Garcia and see if she can track him. I'll call you when I get something." Morgan hung up then contacted Garcia. "Hey, Baby Girl. We can't locate Hotch or Prentiss. Can you run a trace?

"Oh, I hope they're okay. I'm running it now." She anxiously typed away on her keyboard. "Looks like they are in Port Royal."

"Port Royal? Can you send me and the rest of the team the address?"

"Right away. Go! Bring them home safely." Garcia urged.

Mercer dragged Prentiss into the room where Lily was kept. She was laying on the dirty, torn up mattress, naked. Prentiss noticed that Lily wasn't restrained. "Lily." Prentiss called. Lily looked up and remembered seeing her before but wasn't sure where.

He threw Prentiss to the ground. She managed to quickly kick her leg and hit his groin. He let out a whelp. He then got up and started to kick her repeatedly. At each blow she let out a screech that Hotch was able to hear.

Mercer left Prentiss lying on the floor. He walked to Lily. "Get up." He ordered as he kicked her. She slowly got herself up. She stood in front of him on the icy, cement floor but would not make eye contact. He punch her and she fell back to the ground. "Get back up!" He demanded as the process repeated.

Prentiss picked herself back up. "Leave her alone." She went to charge him but he picked up a nail gun from the table next to him and shot her twice. She screamed as the nails ripped through her arm and shoulder.

Hotch managed to pick himself up. He searched his surroundings for something to help him cut the zip-tie cuffs. He saw a pile of construction debris in the corner of the room. He kicked through it with his foot and saw a couple shards of glass.

He sat down in front of the pile and with his hands behind him, he dug through to grab the glass. He started cutting through the thick plastic when heard Prentiss scream. He desperately worked the glass and was able to break through leaving his finders cut up and bloody. He got back up and tried to find Mercer.

"Stop!" Prentiss demanded. Hotch followed her voice. He came into a room with blood splatter on the walls. At the far end of the room hung an old, festering curtain. He could hear them back there. He pulled it back enough to see Prentiss on the ground holding her arm. "Leave her alone!" Prentiss demanded again.

Hotch looked to see Mercer bending Lily over a metal table. He bolted over to him and the two rolled on the ground. The two began to exchange blows. Lily tried to crawl over to Emily but was too weak to make it and passed out.

Mercer gained the upper hand, sat on Hotch's chest and repeatedly hit him. Blood started to spray from his mouth with each punch. Hotch grabbed his throat and squeezed. Mercer started to choke. Hotch punched him. Mercer fell off into a pile of loose bricks. He picked one up and went to strike him.

A shot rang out and Mercer fell backward where he laid with a bullet hole in his head. Hotch looked up to see Rossi holding his glock in front of him.

Hotch dragged himself to Lily who was lying in the middle of the room. He took off his jacket and covered her naked body with it. She reached up and hugged him tightly. "I knew you would come."

Reid and Rossi ran over to Prentiss who was still grabbing onto her shoulder. "Hold tight. The EMTs are on their way." Reid reassured her.

Prentiss tried to pull herself up. "Damn, this is just as bad as being shot." She said touching the nails imbedded in her skin.

Reid looked at her wounds. "Actually, a nail gun's firing capacity is equated to a .22 caliber handgun. So, in a way, you are right."

"Oh, I'm sure that makes her feel better." Rossi added.

JJ touched Hotch's shoulder. "Let me help." He let go of Lily's embrace. JJ had a blanket to cover her up. Then she started to ask a few questions about her injuries.

Hotch stood up and walked to Rossi. "It appears that the victims were afraid to talk because their captor was a cop. He threatened them by making their lives miserable if they said anything. I can only imagine how many other victims there are out there." Rossi explained.

The EMTs came in and tended to their wounds. Hotch didn't want to take his eyes off of Lily for as long as he was able. She was strapped onto the gurney where he saw a single tear roll down her cheek as she was rolled out.

* * *

Hotch walked down the hospital corridor where he met up with JJ. "How is she?" He asked.

"She will need some recovery time but should be back at work in a week or so."

"That's good." They both walked into Prentiss' room. "I want to apologize to you, Emily. Because of my carelessness, I allowed you to get hurt. My actions were unacceptable."

Emily laid in her hospital bed looking at a disgraced Hotch. "It's okay. I understand." She sighed. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't do more to stop him."

"I'm grateful for all you were able to do." He patted her knee. "Get better and get back to us soon." He got up and touched JJ's shoulder as he walked out. JJ stayed with her friend.

He walked into Lily's room as she rested with her eyes closed. He sat on the bed next to her and caressed the side of her face. She opened her eyes. "Aaron."

"I'm so sorry this happened. I should have done a better job of keeping you safe."

"Aaron, you can't keep me in a bubble forever. And remember, this is because of a horrible man's actions, it is no one else's fault. Especially not yours."

"I feel like I let you down. That I let Greg down." He refused to make eye contact with her.

"You could never do that. Greg would have been proud of all that you have done."

He looked back up at her. "Well, you are still coming to stay with me." Her eyes lit up at this news. "I've taken some time off of work and will help with your recovery. And you know Jack will love having you over."

She gave him a big hug. "I can't wait."


End file.
